The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall

Christopher Hibbert is a historian for the tl;dr (too long; didn't read) generation. He condenses a huge span of history making it a great starting point to the reader who otherwise would be lost over where to begin.

The Medici family was one of the most powerful families in Florence but their impact was felt well beyond - throughout Italy and sometimes in neighbouring France. The book starts in the late 1300s with the story of the founder of the Medici bank and chronicles the stories of all the Medicis that followed until Cosimo III in the early 18th century.

Apart from the history of the family, there is an emphasis on the villas, art work and cathedrals commissioned by the family. A lot of their commissions still stand to this day and this book may act like a mini-guide book.